Global agribusiness Bunge has launched an app which allows truck drivers to schedule grain freight in Brazil via their mobile phones.
Bunge said it handled more than 25M tonnes/year of commodities in Brazil and the Vector app was now responsible for about 45% of the total cargo handled by the company by road.
Introduced gradually since January 2020, the Vector app had recorded more than 23,000 downloads and 18,000 profile registrations. By the end of 2020, around 50,000 drivers were expected to use the Vector app.
The tool gathers information about Bunge’s cargo available for handling: pick-up and drop-off locations, timeline for pick-up and delivery, as well as the quantity per tonne.
Drivers registered in the app can select a freight and schedule the load in a few seconds, without visiting one of the company’s branches to withdraw the load order, which becomes digital and confirmed at a time to suit them.
As it is integrated with Bunge’s operating system, one of the main advantages of the tool is that it allows both scheduling and automatic confirmation, guaranteeing the load to the driver.
The aim of the tool is to optimise the time of Bunge’s transportation partners, allowing them to spend less downtime and more time on the road.
Bunge’s logistics operation in Brazil involves 320,000 truck drivers at its base.
Speaking about the app, Makoto Yokoo, the company’s logistics director, said: “The dimensions of Bunge’s operation mean that Vector starts already as a giant player in this market.
“In this pandemic scenario, the tool is also a great ally of the driver in reducing the exposure of professionals to face-to-face situations.
“We are already seeing an increase in the number of active users since the last two weeks of March. Today, about 35% of the total drivers who downloaded the app are active users of the tool compared to 20% in early March,” added Yokoo.
